By Online Desk
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar passed away at 8:12 am on Sunday, confirmed sister Usha Mangeshkar. It is said that the body will be taken to Shivaji Park for people to pay homage.
The 92-year-old playback singer had tested Covid positive with mild symptoms and was admitted on January 8 to Breach Candy Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Mangeshkar’s condition had improved in January and she had been taken off the ventilator but her health deteriorated again on Saturday.
Regarded as one of Indian cinema’s greatest playback singers, Mangeshkar started her career in Marathi movies at the age of 13 in 1942 and has sung over 30,000 songs in various Indian languages.
Aayega Aanewala from the 1948 movie Mahal was one of her early hits. In her over seven-decade career, she has sung a host of memorable tracks, including Ajeeb dastan hai ye from Dil apna aur preet parayi and Pyar kiya to darna kya from Mughal-e-Azam.
On January 27, 1963, she sang the C Ramachandra-composed Aye mere watan ke logon before then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The song, which saluted the bravehearts who had laid down their lives in the India-China war, was said to have brough Nehru to tears.
The singer — known as Melody Queen of India — has been given the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, as well as the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award.
(More details awaited)
